8/2/2015

This might just be the best meal I've ever had. Such an enjoyable experience too. Great food and presentation, without the stuffiness or snobiness of downtown. Parking was decent, and there were families with pre-teens, a first date, etc. Fun people watching.

When you walk in it appears you are in a bar with a table set for a private party. I was so confused. And we got a super (!) warm welcome from the host who brought us to the back and left to the host stand--- oh, ok, I see the kitchen now.

Seating is cozy without being squished. Water is served chilled without ice (my super favorite). Fun cocktails and booze selections--- I asked for something sweet and fizzy and the waitress "knew just the thing." Indeed! It was ah-mazing: procheto.

Each "small plate" wasn't too small (good!) and perfect for two. So my husband and I each ordered 2 things, which came out 1 at a time, and offered a few bites for each of us. We totally were stuffed- in a good way.

Food was fresh, and such a fun blend of tastes and textures. We luckily saved room for dessert-- banana bread pudding. WUHHH! Excellent.

• 

  Basil cavatelli. A little kick

  Basil cavatelli. A little kick
• 

  Tri tip with kholbi scallion slaw

  Tri tip with kholbi scallion slaw
• 

  Cocktail -- new style

  Cocktail -- new style
• See all photos from Alison B. for TWO

8/9/2015

A couple months ago, my boyfriend and a group of my friends came (without me) and got the chef's menu. They called it "the best meal of the year", which prompted me to be so disappointed that I couldn't go that I cried the next morning as my boyfriend raved on and on.

So yesterday I finally got the opportunity to go to TWO for their chef's menu. I was expecting it to be a religious experience of food, and because of that I was slightly underwhelmed. That being said, it was a very solid and delicious meal. We got a huge amount of food for a VERY reasonable price. There were TWO options (get it? haha...I'm not funny): a $50pp and a $45pp option. We chose the $50 per person meal and ended up with 10 different dishes (2 plates of each to share between the 6 of us). I walked away exploding.

The best part about the chef's menu is that you have no idea what's coming next. You tell them your food allergies/restrictions and they bring you out whatever they create. We received:

Appetizers:
* Potato Croquettes - Very tasty, but not terribly special or flavorful. I wish they had been smaller so that it wasn't such an overwhelming amount of potato
* Spring Salad - Fresh, delicious...loved it. They had these awesome fried cheese balls on them
* Mussels - YUM. Great broth.
* Green Beans - Decent. Nicely cooked, but the spicy red sauce on top wasn't my favorite.

Entrees:
* Chicken - AMAZEBALLS. Yes, that amazing. Hands down the best dish. We fought over the last pieces it was that good. I would go back just to eat more of that chicken. Mmmm it's what dreams are made of.
* Steak - Not good. Really tough, kind of a weird flavor.
* Short Rib Risotto - Second best dish. Rich and delicious.
* Halibut - I wasn't a fan but other people liked it. There was a lot of flavor, but it just wasn't for me.

Dessert (My boyfriend is making me preface this with the fact that I'm a pastry chef so I'm pretty picky with desserts):
* Banana Bread Pudding - The banana-bread bread pudding was my favorite of our two desserts, but it needed more spice and moisture, in my opinion. That being said, I ate quite a bit of it and my boyfriend's family devoured it.
* Chocolate Mousse - I was not a fan at all, but everyone else at the table loved it. I thought it was a bit too bitter (and I'm a dark chocolate lover) and the texture wasn't creamy...it seemed overwhipped. But then again, I was the only one that thought that. Everyone else loved it.

THE BOOZE: The May Weather (kind of like a dark and stormy) and the Gleaming the Cube. LOVED the Gleaming the Cube. It started off a bit sour and as the cube melted, turned a bit sweeter. Delicious.

Overall, delicious meal. Definitely worth a trip :-)

8/8/2015

Everything was hit or miss. Service was a tad on the slow side. Dessert was good.

Ordered bacon jam butter and toast and and toast was slightly chared. Ordered a duck mousse with toast as well and it was the same dish, and did not taste like anything but butter.

The risotto was good as was the salad but many of the meat dishes did not leave a lasting impression. Menu online was outdated.

7/28/2015

Overall: A great experience, but was ultimately expecting more. 3.5 if I could, but still, a great meal.

The good: Excellent service (it was a Tues night). The atmosphere is fresh and clean. Some of the plates were amazing, standouts included brisket and peppers. Other plates were either good or disappointing. Portion sizes are decent, obviously to be shared tapas style.

The bad: The food was hit or miss, was really expecting more. The pork tenderloin and sausages were a big downer. The duck egg fettuccine was good, but the duck wasn't fantastic. Big charge on the sparkling water that was offered next to tap water.

Atmosphere: 8.5/10
Service: 10/10
Food: 7.5/10

• 

  Duck egg fettecuine

  Duck egg fettecuine
• 

  Brisket

  Brisket
• 

  Peppers and pumpkin seeds

  Peppers and pumpkin seeds
• See all photos from Kyle D. for TWO

5/28/2015

I had the ramp risotto and the roasted cauliflower with fondue cheese.

I died.

Feast in my mouth.

After party in my taste buds.

Best spot we dined at during our Chicago stay.

• 

  Ramp risotto+Parmesan

  Ramp risotto+Parmesan

7/19/2015

My BF and I came here to attend a lovely business dinner meeting and we enjoyed our visit very much.
We opted for the tasting menu which were dishes chosen by the Chef.
This is a good choice to have if you have large parties.
We had so many dishes I cannot remember most of it.
We had salmom, steak, pork belly, green beans,  mussels , pasta with pesto sauce, salad and many more. I believed there were like 8-10 dishes that we shared and three  desserts.
All I can say is that everything was super delish and the service was really good.  The decor was industrial and hip which reminded me of SF.
I would definitely come back  here when I visit Chicago again.

5/8/2015

My parents were in town, so I wanted to take them somewhere impressive. TWO seemed like a restaurant they would enjoy. The entrance to the restaurant is on the corner. We saw a group of people waiting outside, and later we found that they were a bachelorette party. We walked in a bit apprehensively, but we were seated and unbothered by them for the rest of the evening.

Our waiter suggested ordering around 6 dishes to share. We got the mixed salad, duck fat croquettes, bone marrow, cheesy cauliflower, prawns, and duck egg fettuccine, and special wagyu.

Our favorite of the night was the prawns. They had an asian spiced influence and were cooked perfectly. A close second was the duck fat croquettes. The wagyu was also cooked perfectly and melted in our mouths. The cabbage accompanying it was meh.

We weren't too impressed with the cauliflower. Also, the pasta did not meet my expectations. Perhaps it's because everyone raves about it, increasing my expectations. I wish it were served warmer and perhaps cooked a little longer.

While there were some hits and misses, the service was impeccable, and the hits were hits. The casual atmosphere and good company made for a positive experience.

• 

  Prawns

  Prawns
• 

  Duck egg pasta

  Duck egg pasta
• 

  Bone marrow

  Bone marrow
• See all photos from Michelle L. for TWO

4/27/2015

Came here with the family and had an incredible experience. You order 2-3 small plates per person and with 3 or 4 people that means you end up tasting most of the menu. Mostly local and sustainability raised meats and everything is done perfectly. Don't shy away from the bone marrow dish as it is amazing. The lamb belly was one of the best dishes I've had anywhere. The staff is great and the manager came by frequently to check on us and tell us more about the dishes...it doesn't hurt that he is pretty hot as well. ;)
We were blown away by every bite. Totally in love with two.

4/29/2015

Found this place on Chicago's Bib Gourmand list and decided to make a reservation for 4 on a Sunday night. The place was pretty packed but we were seated right away and service was really good.

The dining experience is served tapas style and dishes are staggered and meant to be shared amongst the table. Our server recommended that each person order 1 appetizer and 1 main dish to share. Since there were 4 girls with relatively small appetites, we decided to order 4 main dishes, 2 appetizers, and 1 dessert instead.

For our appetizers, we ordered the duck fat croquettes and the bone marrow. The duck fat croquettes were delicious and literally melted in our mouths. Picture the most gourmet tasting tater tot you can imagine- that's exactly how it tasted. The bone marrow was also good and seasoned very well. Between the two appetizers, I would recommend getting the duck fat croquettes more than the bone marrow. Although the marrow was good, it wasn't anything amazing. Also make sure everyone in your group eats marrow because the consistency is not really for everyone (slightly gooey and actually kinda like lard but GOOD!.)

For our main dishes, we ordered the amish chicken, wagyu beef, ramp risotto, and ribeye (ranked from best to meh). The amish chicken was AMAZING - best chicken I've had in my life thus far. The chicken was so tender and flavorful and the skin had just the right amount of crispiness. We cleaned off the plate and was tempted to order another serving.

The wagyu beef was also super tender. The meat was practically falling off as we sliced into it. My only complaint would be the seasoning and how it was slightly too salty for my liking. Since we were eating the wagyu beef plain, the sauce was a little too overpowering in certain bites.

We ordered the ramp risotto with the duck egg add-on, which was definitely a good idea. The risotto also had an overpowering herby taste from the ferns however the yolk from the duck egg was able to balance it out. I appreciated how the risotto wasn't too creamy and packed a good flavor. I would've liked it to have more depth since compared to the other dishes we ordered, the ramp risotto just seemed way too plain. It probably would have been better mixed/eaten with another dish.

The ribeye was definitely the most disappointing dish of the night. The meat was SO tough and we were shocked at how poor the quality was given how impressed we were with everything else we ate. I'm not sure why the ribeye came out like that but I had such a hard time chewing. The serving size was also much smaller compared to the other dishes (4 small slices). The fries were good though and tasted like a better version of In n Out fries. The compound butter that was served with the fries complemented it really well.

For dessert, we ordered the banana bread pudding with bourbon caramel ice cream which was also good. Not the best bread pudding I've ever had but it did taste good :)

Overall, I would definitely recommend and would also go back just for the amish chicken!

• 

  Banana bread pudding with bourbon caramel ice cream

  Banana bread pudding with bourbon caramel ice cream
• 

  Ramp risotto with duck egg

  Ramp risotto with duck egg
• 

  Ribeye - disappointing...

  Ribeye - disappointing...
• See all photos from June Y. for TWO

4/27/2015

My sister and I were looking for a place for an early dinner before our show that was fairly close the Bank of America Theatre.  We didn't want to eat in the heart of downtown due to the horrendous search for parking, so we opt for the surrounding neighborhoods.  TWO seemed like a good choice because it was only about 15 minutes away, parking around there isn't too bad (meter parking on the main street of Grand, but free parking along the side streets), and was participating in Chef Week.

When we arrived, we were greeted immediately by the hostess.  I stated we have reservations for 2 at 5:30 pm.  She tried to look up the reservations, but became perplexed soon after.  There seemed to have been a mix up because my reservations were pushed back to 6:30 pm.  It didn't take long for the hostess to resolve the situation.  She found us a table and sat us down.

For Chef Week, TWO offered a 4 course meal for $44.  There was two items under each category, so we opt for one of each entrée to share among the two of us.

First Course:
Porchetta Di Testa: served with pea shoots, Greek olive oil, and grilled bread.  The thinly sliced porchetta had a good ratio between meat and fat which made the porchetta tender and succulent.  The bitterness from the pea shoots was a good compliment to the slight saltiness of the porchetta.  The only complain I had was the "grilled" bread was more like burnt bread.  The overly charred bread overpowered the whole taste of the dish, but without the bread the porchetta was too salty to eat on its own.

Warm Asparagus Salad: served with anchovy butter, sheep's milk feta, and a fried duck egg.  I was a little iffy about this dish because I'm not a huge fan of anchovies, but this dish was really delicious.  The cook on the asparagus was at the perfect crunchy texture and the butter, feta, and egg gave the dish an overall creamy consistency.  

Second Course:
Gulf Prawns: served with wild mushrooms in a shrimp-sherry bisque.  I was really disappointed with this dish.  The shrimps were overcooked and it was overly salty.  

Slagel Farms Suckling Pig: shredded meat from the shoulders cooked with green garlic topped with a pork belly; all on top of a turnip puree.  I didn't really enjoy this dish at all probably because I'm not a huge fan of pork, but my sister really liked the flavors and the cook on the meat.  She said the pork belly really was the true winner of this dish.

Third Course:
Ramp Risotto: made with bacon, roasted ramp bulbs, and a fried duck egg (additional $3).  My sister and I were both not huge fans of this dish.  We felt like there was no flavor but for the bitterness of the ramp bulbs.  After one bite, we didn't go back for a second helping.

Homemade Duck Egg Pasta: made with duck confit, scallions, duck skin cracklins, and parmesan.  With the first bite, you can taste the freshness of the pasta.  It was cooked to a perfect al dente and well-seasoned.  The duck was also cooked perfectly to a moist and tender texture.  Overall, this dish was delicious.  

Fourth Course:
Banana Bread Pudding: topped with bourbon caramel sauce and Chantilly cream with a side of ice cream.  I didn't get a chance to taste the bread pudding (which I heard was amazing) due to the fact we were running really close to our show time.  We had our desserts packed to go and my sister went home with it.

Honey Ricotta Cheesecake: topped with honey and macerated strawberries.  The cheesecake went home with me and I found this cheesecake to be one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted in a while.  The texture was rich and creamy and the acidity from the strawberries was a great compliment.

Overall, I thought the service was impeccable.  TWO offers a full service experience: assisted with your coat, switched silverware between entrees, and checked if everything going well.  Everyone was really attentive without being too pesky.  For the food, I thought only a couple of dishes stuck out and truly exceeded my expectations.  I was surprised how poorly/overly seasoned some of the entrees were.  Since TWO was rated Michelin Bib Gourmand, I had expected more.

• 

  Ramp Risotto with a Duck Egg

  Ramp Risotto with a Duck Egg
• 

  Homemade Duck Egg Pasta

  Homemade Duck Egg Pasta
• 

  Gulf Prawns

  Gulf Prawns
• See all photos from Lisa H. for TWO

7/5/2015

My friend and I came in for a special dinner after I moved to Chicago. At 5:30 on a Friday, the restaurant was almost empty, and our servers were very attentive. Their attentiveness continued throughout the evening, however, as the restaurant filled up; they replaced our silverware and dishware several times between dishes, filled water glasses before they approached half-empty, and frequently stopped by to check on our dining experience.

The food was just as excellent as the service. We started off with the duck fat croquettes, which were pillowy and light in the center and delightfully crispy on the outside, with exquisite flavor that was only boosted by the spicy aioli. The suckling pork had gorgeous caramelization and fantastic flavor, though it seemed a little dry until we realized that each mouthful should be accompanied by a bit of the bacon wrapping the chop. The duck breast was a little rare for my friend's taste, though I found it tender and perfectly cooked; its accompanying bed of potato and apples were exquisite.

The lamb belly was the only disappointment (and I'd still call it a medium-point, rather than a low-point). The flavor and fat layers were a little too strong for both of us. This is the only dish we didn't finish on the spot or take home.

We finished off with the wagyu brisket, which was exceptional; smoky, melt-in-the-mouth, and intensely flavored, with a sour cherry chutney that elevated it over the top. And after all that, we somehow found room to share a honey-ricotta cheesecake with macerated strawberries and fresh cream, which was one of the best cheesecake experiences of my life--not too rich, with a creamy but ricotta-soft texture.

The decor was a comfortable rustic-chic, and we loved the music choices as well (they actually played several of my favorite songs). We've been talking about this meal all weekend. I look forward to coming back!

• 

  Honey-ricotta cheesecake

  Honey-ricotta cheesecake
• 

  Duck fat croquettes -- the best!

  Duck fat croquettes -- the best!
• 

  Suckling porchetta

  Suckling porchetta
• See all photos from Mary D. for TWO

6/18/2015

I loved the casual, yet refined, ambiance at TWO. Our waitress was great and she admitted to having actually tried every item on the menu. I appreciate it when staff can give you honest and personal recommendations. The manager or owner was also present and making rounds at the tables, which is always nice.

I don't remember exactly what we had for appetizers. It was an off menu recommendation from our waitress that included fried pastrami, so obviously I was on board. We had the prawns, which were my favorite item of the night. I just wished the portions were bigger because it was difficult to share. We also ordered the duck egg fettuccine with duck confit and duck skin. Triple duck? Yes, please.

I'm going back this weekend and I can't wait to try some of the other menu items.

4/28/2015

Wow! This place does not disappoint! My boyfriend and I came here for a last minute dinner during Chef Week and it was AMAZING. My boyfriend actually lives around the corner from this place, but we had never been because it seemed so pricy. The Chef Week menu was definitely worth the value ($44). It came with four courses and each course had two options. My boyfriend and I decided to just order one of each option and split everything.

The first course was a pork type dish with bread and a warm asparagus salad. I really enjoyed both, but I absolutely loved the asparagus. It was cooked and seasoned extremely well.

The second course included prawns and another pig dish with pork belly and a pulled pork-type thing. This course was probably my favorite. The pork belly was too good for words and the prawns....man..my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

The third course was a ramp risotto and a duck egg pasta. This was probably my least favorite course, especially after the second course. Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious, just not as delicious as the second course in my opinion. The ramp risotto was interesting and probably my least favorite out of all the food. The duck egg pasta was nice though.

The final course was dessert and included banana bread pudding and cheesecake. Holy cow. The bread pudding was to die for! I could have eaten about 10 more orders of that thing and, honestly, I would come back JUST for the bread pudding. The cheesecake was also good, but I was so full at this point.

We also added in an extra item, which was wild boar. We definitely would have been full without the boar, but man, I'm glad we ordered that too. It was similar to a pork chop, but it was seasoned to perfection and basically melted in your mouth.

The service was immaculate and even though the restaurant got really busy, we never felt ignored. Our server was very nice and took great care of us.

Overall, I loved eating at this restaurant and hopefully I will be back soon!

• 
• 

  Chef week course 1: porchetta di testa and warm asparagus salad

  Chef week course 1: porchetta di testa and warm asparagus salad
• 

  Wild boar chop

  Wild boar chop
• See all photos from Steph U. for TWO

4/2/2015

I had a reservation here on a Saturday date night with my hubby and after hearing amazing things about this place for so long I knew that we had to try it. Upon arrival around 6:30pm the restaurant was packed and I was a little annoyed that the host said that we had to wait for our table. So we waited an additional 15 minutes before getting sat. However, we did get a nice corner table by the window with little pillows around us making it super comfy. I guess the table was worth the wait. We got a few wine glasses to get the evening started and waited upon our food and this is what we got.

Ham board: Jamon Serrano, duck rillette, stone ground mustard, pickles, herb whipped ricotta. We got the 2oz portion for $20 and it was superb, make sure you get this, the bread comes out so crispy and warm and everything on that plate is delicious.

Duck fat potato croquettes, chili aioli, parmesan. I'm normally not a big fan of potatoes but these were amazing, you should definitely try them and ask for extra dipping of that spicy sauce.

Homemade duck egg fettuccine, duck confit, scallions, duck skin cracklins, parmesan. We each got this dish since it was so talked about and I wish we only got one since it was just average, the actual pasta was way too chewy in my opinion not how I normally would eat it or prefer it and I wish there was a tad more duck confit.

Banana bread pudding, salted bourbon caramel sauce, chantilly cream, homemade ice cream. Because how could we pass on dessert and I'm not the biggest fan of bread pudding but this one is insanely delicious. Super flavorful and just melts in your mouth.

Overall, the place had a great atmosphere, perfect for a date night or a girls night, the service was on point and they really know their stuff. Most of the dishes were super tasty, wish I could have liked the pasta dish more, but I will definitely be back when I'm in the area. Prices aren't cheap, but worth it for this place.

• 

  Din din tonight

  Din din tonight

4/22/2015

I came here for Chef week menu for dinner. It was 4 course for $44 and it was very filling and generous portion. The service was very attentive - assist your our jacket removal, water was always filled,  new plate and utensils. Few dishes were very memorable: the suckling pig, warm asparagus salad with poached egg, and the banana bread pudding. Other dishes were okay.

Porchetta with olive oil and arugula - typical dish with generous portion of porchetta with the house bread.

warm asparagus with poached egg - lightly cooked/crunchy asparagus atopped with seasoning (garlic chips?) - this was very simple, but it was delicious and one of my favorite!

Gulf prawn with sherry bisque/salsa verde- A generous sized prawn that was de-shelled (thanks!) atop of sherry bisque. The bisque had a tangy flavor and I really like it as a dipping sauce. It was good and ok.

Suckling Pig with parsnip puree and green garlic - My favorite! The dish was topped with suckling pig's skin which was crispy. The meat was shredded and the flavor was well balanced with the garlic. Somewhat reminds me of a better version of the kalua pig. The meat was very tender and the parsnip puree was more like a mash potato. SO delicious.

Housemade pasta with duck and confit - The pasta was al dente and full of flavor! The duck was toasty and compliments the pasta. However, i thought the seasoning was tad too heavy with pepper, garlic, and salt. It would be better if it was less seasoning and I would probably enjoy it better.

Ramp risotto - additional $3 for fried duck egg. This is more of a vegetable based risotto which i enjoyed and it was a twist from the typical risotto. Like my brother said, it reminded him of drinking the fresh made green juices. Therefore he didnt quite enjoy the entree as much as I did.

Banana bread pudding with ice cream - Favorite! The dessert wasnt as sweet a I thought it would be. The banana bread was soft on the inside and the outside was toasty/ crispy. It complimented the housemade vanilla ice cream really well.

Ricotta cheesecake - The cheesecake was soft and fluffy. The crust was not too sweet and good. However, I felt like the cheesecake lacked that Cheesecake taste,possibly because it's ricotta? I will pass on this dessert...

• 

  Asparagus with poached egg - very good and flavorful

  Asparagus with poached egg - very good and flavorful
• 

  Gulf prawns

  Gulf prawns
• 

  Suckling pig - love it!

  Suckling pig - love it!
• See all photos from Jackie M. for TWO

6/8/2015

We discovered this tapas restaurant on Groupon and purchased a deal for a date night. The Chef's Selection Menu for Two included a 5 course meal with a bottle of wine (a $139 dinner for $89).

This restaurant reminds me of home, and by home, I mean Texas. We were greeted with friendly smiles and handshakes by the hostess the moment we walked through the front door - that was a first for us. Everyone was super friendly and helpful.

They time each dish perfectly - from the moment we sat down to the time we finished each dish. We barely had time to think about the next dish before the dish was served. In addition, we were given a new set of dishes and utensils for each course. We loved how they cleaned the table after each course and the way they presented each dish.

My favorite dishes were: the Banger Island Mussels, Ramp Risotto, Banana Bread Pudding. The bread that comes with the mussels is to die for. I wish I knew the secret of how they toasted and flavored each piece. The ramp risotto melts in your mouth. Don't be afraid of the green color; each bite comes with an explosion of flavor in your mouth. The banana bread pudding is so moist. I love that it comes with a side of ice cream.

I'd highly recommend trying this restaurant out with the Groupon deal. It's totally worth it if you haven't tried out this place yet.

6/17/2015

I really liked this place!

We went for a large client dinner, did a prefixed menu & the whole crew was happy. Great place for a group - very attentive service. The drinks here are awesome, treat yourself to a cocktail or two.

My favorite dish was the chicken - seriously incredibly juicy and I'm not one to order Chicken at a restaurant. Can't miss the bread pudding for dessert. YUM!

8/1/2015

As always, I get a woodie for 4.5 stars on yelp.  This time, I was left scratching my head wondering which restaurant everyone else went to....

The food was bland at best.  The beer was good, but I doubt they make the beer.

We started with potato croquettes.  Those are actually fried mashed potato balls.  Igg.  Imagine weird tater tots. I would have preferred some of the golden arrows from Mickey ds.

Then we had the grass fed tri tip.  First, they served it cold.  We sent it back, and the second dish was flaming hot (read too hot like they did something to warm it up), but, it was fairly bland steak with a weird shaved vegetable concoction under neath.  Not horrible, but if I cooked this at home I would try a different recipe next time.  

The risotto stood out the most.   I think it came from a can, but my wife believes it was fresh.  But we both agree the risotto was no good.  The sauce was overly thick and bad.

Overall, I prefer a burger from tgi Fridays.  Also, the service was horrible.  They were kind.  In fact, the busboys were actually quite attentive, but the server was no where to be found.  We didn't get our drinks until AFTER we ate our first dish.  The only explanation for the cold tri tip is that server let it sit for 20 minutes.   Finally after we were done, we sat there for 20 minutes waiting for our check/attention.  We finally had to flag someone down for the check.  Horrendous.  There is must be another restaurant called two because I do not understand all the highly favorable reviews.  

I was left flacid.

5/26/2015

Spectacular! Right up there with MK as the best meal we've had in SF.  

Everything was impeccable from start to finish:
1) Homemade bacon jam, herb ricotta, grilled bread  - unbelievable combo of textures and flavors, the bacon jam was off the hizzy
2) Nichols Farm roasted  cauliflower, pickled red onions, white cheddar fondue  - you had me at white cheddar fondue
3) Gulf prawns, oyster mushrooms, shrimp-sherry bisque, Espelette pepper  - incredibly rich, almost too much -almost
4) Homemade duck egg fettuccine, duck confit, scallions, duck skin cracklins, parmesan  - needed a touch of pepper to make it epic but damn, it was good
5) Risotto, homemade bacon, garlic, fiddlehead ferns, fava beans  - best. risotto. ever.

Service was perfect.  Interior was both cozy and open, great balance.  Just a fantastic meal overall.

6/17/2015

The service was fantastic and the food was really good.  We weren't sure what to expect since we had purchased a Groupon deal, which can be a hit or miss proposition; Fortunately for us, it was a huge hit and it made our anniversary dinner even better.

The deal was a chef's menu that is already set in place, much like a pre fixed or tasting menu.  I have always like this concept since it takes a lot of the guess work out in determining what to get the first time at an establishment.
The shared plate meal also came with a complimentary bottle of wine, which was an unexpected, but welcomed  surprise.

We started off with a nice garden salad that was peppered with small little breaded cheese balls along with bits and pieces of pancetta.  A great start to our meal.  The next dish was PEI mussels with some leeks and garlic.  The broth was a bit salty, but when you had it with the mussels and  the toast, it was just right.

The low point of the meal came in the form of the lamb dish with mushrooms which was very salty and was almost non-edible.  The lamb wasn't too bad, but we avoided the shrooms and potatoes as they seem to have sucked up all of the salt in the dish.

Going from the low point, we went straight to the high point; the Ramps Risotto.  Perfect combination of onion and pepper mixed up with perfectly cook risotto.  This dish was truly a highlight of our night!

We finished off the night with an order of the delicious Duck Fat Potato Croquettes that were crispy on the outside and creamy middle.  And for dessert, the Banana Bread Pudding capped off an amazing and memorable meal.

I have to say, the service was fantastic.  Everyone was knowledgeable and helpful.  There wasn't a time that I had to wait very long to address any of our needs.  Overall, this was a very memorable and enjoyable dinner experience we had, especially for a Groupon deal!!

• 

  Banana bread pudding

  Banana bread pudding
• 

  Duck fat potato croquettes

  Duck fat potato croquettes
• 

  Ramp risotto

  Ramp risotto
• See all photos from Joey T. for TWO

8/9/2015

We had a group of 14 and did the tasting menu, which was a family style multi course meal. Everything was fantastic. They accommodated a vegetarian and served up a selection of delicious meats and vegetables to the rest of us. My personal favorites were the chicken and risotto. Great specialty cocktails and craft beer selection. The only complaint I have is there is only 1 ladies bathroom, so be prepared to wait in line :)

7/19/2015

Our group ordered the tasting menu.  They had 2 options for the tasting menu: the $45 tasting course which they said had a mix of veggies, grains, and meats. Or the $50 version with more meats.  We opted for the $50 version which included:

Duck fat croquettes: These were okay. Perfectly fried, but they were not all that flavorful.
Mixed greens salad: The ricotta fritters were great. The bacon bits also helped make this salad tasty.
Wagyu Brisket: The briskets were pretty tough but the overall flavor of the dish was good.  Also of note, we had noted to the waiter when ordering that one of our friends does not eat beef, but they still served this dish.
Alaskan halibut: One of my favorites of the night! Fish was cooked perfectly and the sweetcorn and puree complemented the fish well.
Risotto: A bit too lemony for my liking, but overall it was pretty good.
Andouille sausage with pork loin: I liked the sausage, but didn't care too much for the pork loin.
Duck egg fettuccine: The duck was very salty, but I really liked this dish regardless. The homemade fettuccine was excellent and helped to mitigate the saltiness of the duck.
String beans: Basically just string beans with some sauce over it. Somewhat uninspiring.
Banana bread pudding: Absolutely AMAZING. The homemade ice cream was creamy and just sweet enough and complemented the warm banana bread so well. The banana bread was nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Just amazing.
Cheesecake: Fantastic and creamy. Every part of it was well-made and the raspberries were a great addition.
Puppy chow: Was not expecting much from these but they were pretty good. A bit too sweet for my liking, but that's just me.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal, but I'm not sure if I would say it was a $50 worthy meal.

8/12/2015

Great first impression, my cousin dragged me to this amazing spot. The decor is clean, open, and fresh. We ordered a few dishes and each plate was tasty.  I really enjoyed the pork belly with quinoa. The waiter was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu. My cousin stepped away from the table and the waiter came by and grab her napkin off the chair. She folded it and placed it gently on the table! Good stuff! I would go back

2/3/2015

I took my husband to TWO for his birthday dinner this past Saturday night. The staff was really friendly, especially the owner, and the food was really good.

We went with the restaurant week menu, and also ordered the duck fat croquettes from the lregular menu. They were delicious! Definitely one of my favorite dishes from the night. I would highly recommend them! They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served with a side of aioli. Perfect combination!

The restaurant week menu consisted of four course: soup or salad, bonus dish, main course and dessert. For the first course, I chose the soup - roasted cauliflower bisque with cured mushrooms and a ricotta crouton. It was very light and flavorful! However, the bonus course was definitely my favorite! It was sort of like a soup that consisted of a porcini polenta cake, wild mushrooms and garlic jus. I'm not sure if this is on the regular menu, but I would highly recommend it, especially for mushroom lovers. The main course I picked was sea scallops, served on a bead of sweet potato purée, a drizzle of herb vinaigrette, and rutabaga chips. The scallops were perfectly cooked, but I thought the sweet potato purée was a little bit too sweet for me. Last but not least, I ordered the dark chocolate brownie and my husband got the honey ricotta cheesecake. Both were excellent!  

I'm giving TWO only four stars because they didn't do anything special (not even a candle on the dessert or a simple "happy birthday") for my husband. I put a note in my reservation when I made it online, and the hostess confirmed that they knew it was a special occasion when I called to check on the time the day before. I just wish they had made the dinner a little special for him. Everyone wants to feel special on their birthday! I'm not going to lie, I was disappointment.

• 

  Restaurant Week - Third Course: Honey Ricotta Cheesecake

  Restaurant Week - Third Course: Honey Ricotta Cheesecake
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  Restaurant Week - Third Course: Dark Chocolate Brownie

  Restaurant Week - Third Course: Dark Chocolate Brownie
• 

  Restaurant Week - Third Course: Honey Ricotta Cheesecake & Dark Chocolate Brownie

  Restaurant Week - Third Course: Honey Ricotta Cheesecake & Dark Chocolate Brownie
• See all photos from Plamena G. for TWO

7/9/2015

Two is a great place for a local, farm-to-table meal.  We went with another couple and were able to order quite a few items.  All of the meat dishes were fantastic, and definitely my favorites.  I would probably skip the shrimp and potato croquettes next time, but they were still very good.  The risotto was also great, and a very large portion.  Space is cute, and would be great for a group as the tables can be pulled together.  Prices were very reasonable for the amount and quality of food.

12/9/2014

Highlights:  Delicious duck pasta and great service.

After seeing this restaurant on Check Please, I was determined to come for dinner to have for myself the "creative, fun, unexpected and unpretentious" experience.  It certainly lived up to most of those adjectives, so I hesitate to give it 3 stars.  The food was definitely good, there's no arguing that.  The real question is, was it THAT good for the price?  For me, I feel like I wouldn't come back because it was overpriced.  

FOOD
P.E.I. Mussels, Saffron broth, leeks, grilled bread $16 - It was good, but I wasn't blown away.  My favorite mussels from a different restaurant cost less for more.

Nichols Farm Brussel sprouts, Pickled red onions, roasted apples, white cheddar fondue - $10 - They were good on their own, but doesn't play well with other dishes.  I actually do like the taste of Brussels sprouts so having them so strongly seasoned with other flavors isn't my thing.

Butternut squash risotto, homemade bacon, baby spinach, fresh thyme, Wisconsin parmesan
+add fried duck egg - $20 - I like the creativity of this dish.  It was good, but I wouldn't order it again because it's just risotto.

Homemade duck egg fettuccine, Duck confit, duck skin cracklins, scallions, parmesan $17 - My favorite of the night.  The pasta was chewy, which I like, nicely seasoned and slightly greasy.  

Pumpkin bread pudding, Salted bourbon caramel, homemade ice cream $7 - It was good.  The bread pudding was denser that what I was expecting but the ice cream was fantastic and I wish there was more of it.

Service:  Excellent!  The host greeted us and seated us promptly.  Our waiter asked if we have been to the restaurant before, explained the menu, was attentive and informative.  My water glass never went empty.

Attire: Causal, jeans and t-shirt will do just fine.

Parking:  There are paid parking on Grand and free parking on side streets (e.g. May).  I came on a Sunday night and parking was really easy to find.

• 

  Pumpkin bread pudding

  Pumpkin bread pudding
• 

  Pumpkin bread pudding

  Pumpkin bread pudding
• 

  Pumpkin bread pudding

  Pumpkin bread pudding
• See all photos from Misty S. for TWO

4/24/2015

We oohed and ahhed over literally every bite of food here.

While I've participated in Restaurant Week with varying degrees of consistency during the five odd years that I've lived in Chicago, it wasn't until this year that Chef Week was really on my radar. I'd heard it mentioned before but never bothered to partake. This year, with my departure from this great city on the horizon, I figured it was time to strike.

How we got from there to TWO was actually a complete crapshoot. I looked at the list of restaurants participating in Chef Week and randomly chose one that had its menu up that early (this was several weeks before the actual event). The TWO menu looked pretty intriguing to me, so I sent it to a friend and we made a reservation for a Friday night dinner.

The Chef Week dinner at TWO was a $44 prix fixe menu with four courses. Both of us were sure of what we wanted for the first and third courses, which happened to be the same two dishes - a warm asparagus salad and a duck-egg pasta with pork ragú sauce respectively - but were torn over the second and fourth courses. We decided to get one of each for those two courses and split both. For the second course, this meant one serving each of the gulf prawns and the Slagel Farms suckling pig. For the fourth (dessert), it was the banana bread pudding and the honey ricotta cheesecake.

I can very honestly say that there wasn't a single thing I ate that wasn't delicious. For someone who's usually pretty allergic to vegetables (not actually), the asparagus salad was awesome - so flavorful and with a nice char on the stalks themselves. The second course was one of our favorites - both the prawns and the pork were amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect with the suckling pig since they don't specify exactly what cut of pork it is, but it turns out that they used my two favorites - the shoulder and the belly. The duck-egg pasta had perfect texture and cook, and the sauce was really tasty as well. And finally, the banana bread pudding was by far my favorite of the two desserts - warm and cinnamony and with a scoop of ice cream on the side (I like all my desserts a la mode!) - though the cheesecake was nice as well.

Portion sizes were also very reasonable - I was pretty stuffed by the end of the meal. Service throughout the meal was super friendly and helpful - food came out quickly, pacing was good, and servers were easily reachable but didn't hover over us. The ambiance of the restaurant is also really nice: kind of rustic and cozy but still plenty of space (there are so many restaurants these days crammed into tiny spaces where you can barely walk in between the tables... I'm sure you know the feeling).

It's actually been quite a while since I ate at a restaurant that really knocked it out of the park. TWO was one of these experiences.

7/6/2015

Although this review was long overdue. I felt that it would be an injustice not to post. My husband and I went to this restaurant for our 23rd anniversary. We had purchased a Groupon (in a quest to save money).
So there was a bit of trepidation about how it would be. However surprised we were!

The staff was very attentive from the moment that we entered the restaurant. In fact the manager greeted us both and shook our hands. He then led us to the main dining room. We had a table near the window so that we can people watch!

Then began our four course tasting menu. Each course out doing the previous. After the four courses came a lovely dessert!  And to top it off, a full bottle of wine! I definitely would recommend this restaurant. And if you can get a Groupon, it's even a better deal.

7/20/2015

We grouponed and the service and food are both great. I have to repeat: the service is so good, warm, friendly but not too much. The only thing is about the groupon: it includes a bottle of wine and we are not really drinking people and so it's a little bit of a waste

• 

  Banana pudding - warm and tender!

  Banana pudding - warm and tender!
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  Risotto- peas bacon mushrooms

  Risotto- peas bacon mushrooms
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  Steak

  Steak
• See all photos from Maggie Z. for TWO

8/9/2015

Two is fantastic! I've been there twice and the first time it was the best meal of the year. The second time was really good, but not great. We did the chef's menu and the food options are endless. We had chicken, fish, steak, duck fat croquettes, salad, mussels, risotto, green beans AND two desserts. My stomach was in a happy place albeit I needed a wheelbarrow to take me home. I left happy and stuffed. The chicken was hands down the best dish and one that I'm still talking about today...I will definitely be going back

8/5/2015

I've been there a couple of times and I've never been disappointed. The menu changes seasonally and the food is fresh and well seasoned. On top of the great food, the cocktail selections is great. They recommend to share entrees tapas style. I'm not big on sharing, but the portion sizes are large enough to share with another person. Staff is great and bright and open atmosphere in the dining area.

4/25/2015

Props to my friend for randomly deciding to make a reservation here for Chef Week way in advance. But I'm so glad she did because the menu was amazing. Once she asked me if I wanted to join her for a Friday night dinner, I looked at the menu a few days before and struggled to decide which of the two options I wanted for each course and continued to struggle up until we actually ordered. We ended up both getting the asparagus salad and the duck egg pasta for the first and third course, but ordered one each of the gulf prawn and suckling pig (second course), and the banana bread pudding and honey ricotta cheesecake (fourth course). The portion sizes were great, especially for a Chef Week/Restaurant Week type menu and each dish had a wonderful mix of flavors and textures that I don't know how to describe other than using words like amazing and tasteful. I personally loved the prawns, suckling pig and the banana bread pudding the most but that's definitely more of a personal taste preference rather than how the dishes were.
Definitely loved it here and want to come back to try out many of the options on the full menu.

• 

  duck egg pasta

  duck egg pasta
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  gulf prawns and suckling pig

  gulf prawns and suckling pig
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  asparagus salad

  asparagus salad
• See all photos from Jialing L. for TWO

7/18/2015

Ok, I've been a yelp member since 2011 and every time I go somewhere really good or really bad I always say...Oh man I'm gonna yelp em!  Well the day has finally come...yes TWO was so bad it sparked me to write my very first yelp review.

I live in the area and like to try new walk able places so I was excited to go here.

The gentleman that greeted us was super nice and shook all of our hands as he welcomed us in which was impressive, we thought wow this place is great...it all went down hill from there.

First off I didn't realize it was a small dish share type place, my group of four were not in the mood for sharing so we each ordered 2 dishes with one ordering 3.  They let you know that the food will come out as it's prepared but the service was sloooow and the pace of the dishes were awkward with one person not getting any of their food until last.  

Onto the food itself

Market Salad--just a plain salad on a tiny plate nothing special, I can make a better salad at home, the only good thing about the salad were the delicious tiny ricotta fritters, actually the ricotta fritters were the only delicious thing I tasted here and there were only 3 of them on the salad, go figure

Alaskan Halibut--a child size sample for $21 on a tiny plate btw everything here is a tiny portion served on a tiny plate.  The fish itself was ok but the corn puree it was prepared with was overpowering and not tasty.  I would rather pay double for a normal size Halibut filet that tasted amazing.

Wagyu Brisket--$20...really? A small chunk of meat with no flavor, a little tough, lots of fat marbling.  I could buy a good quality brisket at whole foods for $6.99LB throw it in a crock pot with a little seasoning that would blow this away and I could feed a few people off of it.

Duck Fat Croquettes--basically tasted like boxed mashed potatoes deep fried

Amish Chicken--was probably the best tasting of anything ordered but it was just a plain piece of chicken, yes it was juicy but flavor was minimal and nothing special.

The Tri-Tip--was ok, a little chewy

Suckling Pig--yuck, after tasting we actually didn't eat this

Oh and of course there are the green beans that were so bad we sent them back, that came out last...yes last you would think hmmm green beans probably don't take that long to make why would they come out last? We even asked, the server said because the sauce is spicy they serve it last so it doesn't overpower the other food.  Interesting we all just sat there in awe contemplating that one.  Anyway the best taste description of these are frozen microwaved green beans mixed with some store bought bottled szechuan sauce.  

On a positive note the bottle of wine we ordered was great, although we waited for what seemed like forever for it.  

I'm completely surprised there are so many positive reviews; I have absolutely no idea how this place stays in business.  Out of 4 people we all thought it was a bust and a ruin of a Friday night dinner.  $230 later we left sadly disappointed and hungry.

6/7/2015

I went here almost a year ago for the tasting menu. I have to say it was pretty forgettable. My neighbors food looked more interesting. This review has been sitting in draft for almost a year because I just didn't have anything good to say.

I wanted to like Two but it was just not happening. Kinda like the last guy I went out with.

2/28/2015

I'm writing this review as I sit waiting for our check for two reasons. 1. I'm devoted to YELP 2. I'll forget what I had by the time I get home due to the underwhelming experience.

Duck fried croquette-good, Beet salad-excellent, salmon-over cooked, brisket-skip or order with a gallon of water because you'd think Morton Salt company owns some shares here with the amount of salt in this small dish, duck egg risotto-delicious, dessert, skip the bread putting because it's like eating bread with ice cream. No flavor at all.

With that said, waiter was wonderful, intelligent, knew his stuff, friendly and made jokes which we love.

I was excited for this place based on reviews, but as a foodie whose eaten at a lot of similar, tapa/small plate trendy establishments, this places is average and classifies as good in my book but not great in any way.

7/28/2015

In an area of great elaborate restaurants, this simple one was one of our favorites. It's very midwestern farm focused. Interesting but comforting homey dishes. We got potato croquettes (mild but very good), green beans (good, a bit spicy), duck fettuccine (good), and brisket (great). We also got banana bread budding and puppy chow for dessert which were both really good too, especially the puppy chow. The place is a nice mix of classy but casual and unpretentious. This is one I could see coming back to repeatedly.

7/29/2015

I came to TWO with four other girlfriends.  It was the start of a Bachelorette evening.  We elected to all do the Chef's Tasting Menu for $50/person so that we could try a lot of things and didn't have to come to mutual decisions.  It was definitely the right way to go for our group.  They accommodated our requests of not a lot of pork for one guest, gluten items on the side for another, and no cilantro for another.  We ate salads, tri-tip steak, peanut green beans, mussels, roasted amish chicken, cheesecake, and bread pudding.  All was delicious!  There wasn't a thing we didn't like.  Our server wasn't real lively, but she got the job done.  She, as well as the workers who brought out our food, were pretty soft spoken so sometimes it was tough to get a full description of what we were about to eat.  The space was comfortable. I'd go back next time I'm in town, for sure.

8/12/2015

Excellent service. I mean, I know you get what you pay for but lately I've had so many bad experiences with service that this place was doing something right. Food was excellent. Perfect sizes to share with one other person. Pricy in my opinion, but worth it. Only complaint was the lighting was inconsistent. Was very dim at some tables and bright at others; we had to use flashlights which is kinda not cool. I will come back fa sur.

5/29/2015

The food was delicious and very flavorful but very disappointed by the hassle my table of 9 got because we didn't want to do the chefs dinner. Not only did the server mention it to us twice but the general manager came over and mentioned it to us again. We understood it may be easier for the kitchen to do that but what about what the customer wants. They questioned every order because they thought we wouldn't have enough, but we ate exactly what we wanted. Felt very awkward the rest of the meal.

All of us gave Two, two stars.

7/5/2015

Fantastic place for mid-west small plates.  The atmosphere is relaxing and lively.  The food is always amazing.  I recommend the duck fat croquettes, halibut, and bread pudding.  Highly recommended.

• 

  Duck fat croquettes

  Duck fat croquettes
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  Squash blossoms...amazing!

  Squash blossoms...amazing!
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  "Love is love" drink. Delicious!

  "Love is love" drink. Delicious!

7/26/2015

I've been here 3 times now and it has never disappointed. Food tastes fresh and on point in flavors. Don't miss their duck-fat croquettes, their mussels and their salad. The service was very attentive. Their concept is tapas-sized portions so each person will probably need to order 2-3 plates to get full.

3/8/2015

My fellow pregnant friend and I tried this place out for Restaurant Week last month, so I can only comment on the food and not the drinks.  We were seated immediately for our early reservation.  Everyone from the host to the our server and the waitstaff were very friendly and welcoming.

We both decided to go for the tasting menu and got the exact same appetizer and entree but different desserts.  The cauliflower soup was delicious and perfect for the cold wintry day.  The Berkshire pork entree was good, but nothing special.  Props for using Berkshire pork though!  It came with two thinly sliced pork cuts, which was likely equivalent to one whole cut of regular pork.  Dessert was my favorite part because I tried the awesome Chocolate Brownie with the homemade Nutella ice cream, graham cracker toffee, and toasted marshmallow.  The toffee was crunchy and contrasted well with the chewy brownie and marshmallow.  My friend is allergic to Nutella so she had the Ricotta Cheesecake, which she said was good, but not exceptional.  

It was great to sample what TWO has to offer via the tasting menu.

3/4/2015

We went here as our one and only Restaurant Week destination. There were many contenders for our new restauant adventure night, but this appeared on Check Please as we were making reservations elsewhere. After hearing the raving reviews, we had to change up the plan and head to TWO. From the phone reservations to the friendly farewell as we left, five star experience all the way around.

We were slightly early for our reservations so we hit up the bar. I had a hard time choosing from the cocktail menu, but in the end, I always judge a bar by it's Old Fashioned (namely looking for a good ice cube) so I had to start there. Yes, yes, yes! Got my sphere ice cube and the rest of the beverage was just as swell! The greeter/owner was overtly friendly and warm.

Space was trendy and quaint - we learned that there were two reasons the restaurant was named TWO: 1) all of the decor and interior furniture has been re purposed and 2) there are two chefs. Both were good calls. Decor was comforting but on point with what's cool and the food was outstanding. We had the following:

Cauliflower Bisque
Beet Salad
Scallops
Pork Chop
Brownie
Ricotta Cheesecake

It was all good. All of it was "lick your plate" worthy. Brownie was a bit much for me, but I'm not a huge chocolate fan. The cheesecake, however; was the most wonderful consistency. I make cheesecake at home from time to time and can't wait to alter my recipes to include ricotta. Thanks, TWO!

6/1/2015

Delicious tapas style meals.  If you are hungry you will pay quite a bit to get filled up, but the food is defiantly worth  it.  The Duck Fat Potato Croquettes were amazing, i could eat them for every meal.  I recommend 5 small plates to share between 2 ppl.  

The decor was elegant and homey.. quite literally homey.  There was a wall decorated with a white picket fence and another that had siding.  It sounds strange but it really works.  Makes the place very warm and inviting.  

Its a trendy spot and you would feel comfortable in a dress shirt and jeans or a nice T-shirt.. just dont get too casual.  Great for a date.

8/10/2015

My new favorite restaurant! Everything we ate was AMAZING. This place is a must try.

6/21/2015

Wonderful Experience!
My hubby, 13 month old and I went here for Father's Day today. It was a great choice.. I was told. We are foodies so it's always a challenge to find a new resturant we've never been to. So the pressure was on. I did great!
Cool vide, strive was excellent! They were extremely attentive to our 13 month old!
Food was amazing! We did the chefs tasting and it was superb !

They don't have a kids menu (not really a kids resturant) but we have a kiddie foodie already so he was fine. They also don't have a kids cup with straw, so just bring your own. Our 13 month old loved loved the risoto and the bananna bread pudding! :)
We will be back.
Thanks TWO for a wonderful evening!

6/13/2015 Updated review

The reason I'm downgrading from 5 to 4 stars on my second review is the service. The staff was still friendly but not as attentive as last time. I'm not sure if maybe this is because we were using the Groupon deal but even if that's the case it's unacceptable to treat customers differently. Usually the purpose of a groupon is to get new customers coming back. Not once did the server ask how the meal was. I asked for a lemon twice and it never came. It also felt like we were being pressured to order additional food, which we ended up doing but was completely unnecessary. Their service wasn't bad by any means, just not up to par after my first dining experience here 2 weeks earlier.

Now on to the food...
I'm gonna start with dessert because the ricotta cheesecake was probably the best I've ever had. Definitely failed last time not ordering this! The texture is so soft and light it like a sweet little cloud. The honey complimented it perfectly and of course you have to strawberries and whipped cream in cheesecake. Dreams now consist of the Duck Egg Fettucine and Ricotta Cheesecake!!

Rabbit with mushrooms spinach and fingerling potatoes. I loved this! Flavor was great, rabbit was well cooked and tender, not as gamey as rabbit can sometimes be. The only issue here was that with the groupon we didn't get to chose what we ordered. When the server asked if there was anything we didn't eat, my friend told her based on the menu items. This was a daily special and not a regular menu item so she didn't know it could be served. She doesn't eat rabbit. I offered to ask for a different dish but she isn't the type to want to complain and bring attention to herself. So I ate rabbit for two!

Grass fed Tri Tip with slaw- perfectly cooked! We both enjoy a good steak, but aren't huge steak lovers. We certainly enjoyed this! The zucchini (i think) slaw was wonderful and had a unique texture with great complimenting flavors. Whatever bits of crispyness were on the meat was delightful!

The Market Salad, Squash blossoms, and Duck Egg fettucine were all in my first review! Squash blossoms and duck fettuccine are MUST haves.

6/12/2014

Some days are rainbows, puppy chow, and the very best mussels in red sauce you've ever had... and some days you biff it and accidentally ingest a portion of a cat chemo pill, break out in a gnarly rash on the top half of your body, and feel nauseous as all get-up.

Today was 50/50 both of those scenarios for me, but I'd already gone through the effort of showering and putting on make-up, so chemo rash or no chemo rash I was making my damn dinner reservation time.

Regrets? Mehhh... I'm still alive at the moment, so for as long as that holds true I have to say I think it was worth it.

I'd made reservations for dinner for myself and my Dad at 7:00 on Wednesday evening and we started with a few cocktails, including TWO's take on a Moscow Mule, only theirs is playfully named after Russia's own Pussy Riot (Neon Balaclava). Throughout the night we also partook in the Wet Hound (Great), Austrian Margarita (OK), and a Rosa from Revolution (Always Delicious).

I was told by several friends that both the food and the service here were phenomenal but by the end of the meal I think I could really only agree with one of those being true.

It wasn't that our server was bad, but the overall vibe was unfriendly, I felt. I dined with my Dad and we're pretty fun people, not stiff in any sense but our server seemed distracted and had the general vibe of a guy who had better plans for the evening but then got called in to work. At the tail end of our meal things did perk up when he brought a complimentary dessert wine digestif, but otherwise, I was a little bummed to not get the rave service experience that a number of my friends had gushed about.

Even, when we walked in and weren't really sure where to go because the host stand wasn't right up front, we walked across the first dining room and just waited while the bartender side-eyed but said nothing until one of the guys who ended up being our bus boy sat us. When we left it was the same deal. Empty up front and the bartender side eyeing us but saying nothing... so that was odd given all the great things I'd heard.

Our meal was exactly as friends had warned: Outstanding! We ordered (of course) probably more than we should have, but we finished everything less the puppy chow, which we'd preemptively ordered to take home.

Here's the run down:

// Klug Farms Asparagus Salad // asparagus, celery, pea shoots, smoked salmon, poached potatoes, fish sauce aioli - $11
-- I kind of just ordered this for the heck of adding another pescetarian--friendly dish and it ended up being one of my favorites. It's a lot more interesting than you'd think from the description. The salad is perfect if you crave salty things (I always do) and you can think of the smoked salmon as thick, salmon bacon with that extra meaty, jerky-like flavor.  

// Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower // sauteed red onion, chile flake, aged white cheddar fondue - $8
-- We chowed down and it was delish, but not a standout among the rest of our meal.

// Banger Island Mussels // San Marzano tomatoes, shaved fennel, absinthe, grilled bread - $16
-- GET THIS. Get this. Get this. Get this. The best I've ever had and that grilled bread and sauce?! F*ck. Why is it so good?

// Roasted Alaskan Halibut // halibut, asparagus, pickled red onion, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli puree, toasted pecan pesto - $22
-- GET THIS. It's one of the pricier items on the menu but the portion size is very fair and it's another standout that I don't believe you can find on the menu year-roud.

// Ramp Risotto // homemade bacon, ramp puree, Wisconsin parmesan with a fried duck egg - $20
-- VERY filling, but an excellent menu choice. Absolutely splurge and get the $3 fried duck egg on top.

// Puppy Chow // -$6
-- This was one of the things I was most excited about, but just a little let down by. It didn't live up to my memory of this lower-middle-class girl scout delicacy. Pretty sure I know a few scout moms who make it better.

// Banana Bread Pudding // Salted bourbon caramel sauce, homemade ice cream - $7
-- Well, sh*******t. GET THIS. Nice portion but still (somehow) light enough to devour even after all our previous drinks and courses.

// Homemade Biscuit Donut // maple ice cream, maple-Templeton rye syrup - $8
-- Really delicious. Donut was very much like a tiny Krispy Kreme. I know biscuits are really hot right now, but this tasted like straight donut, no bisc to me. Still a treat that I don't regret.

Overall, this was one of the better meals I've had all year and I really enjoyed the 'medium plates' concept because we were able to share everything, but nothing was embarrassingly small-portioned that we felt awkward infringing on extra bites of any one dish. The atmosphere is rustic and masculine- think Farmhouse James Bond- and I LOVED that I could get this caliber of meal while still being able to dine comfortably in jeans.

I'd go back in a heartbeat... granted I don't accidentally OD from that aforementioned cat chemo sitch.

• 

  Banana Bread Pudding

  Banana Bread Pudding
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  Dessert Wine Digestif

  Dessert Wine Digestif
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  Puppy Chow

  Puppy Chow
• See all photos from Candice G. for TWO

6/5/2015

We are visiting from California and wanted to go to a new, trendy Chicago restaurant.  We picked Two from online reviews.  Four of us arrived for our 7:00 reservation and were promptly seated.  The menu had so many great items to choose from that we were delighted to find that it was Tapas style and plates were shared, so we all got to taste several items.  We started with grilled bread with a delicious paper thin sliced Italian prosciutto, next we had Duck Fat Potato Croquettes roasted garlic aioli, wisconsin parmesan  $8, Mixed Greens Market Salad homemade ricotta fritters, hampshire bacon, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, grilled red onion vinaigrette  $10,
Nichols Farm Squash Blossoms tempura fried, sauteed baby squash, roasted garlic aioli $15,  prawns (kind of mushy with heads on and strong flavor), Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower sauteed red onion, chile flake, aged white cheddar fondue  $9.  Waybu brisket with bbq sauce and spinach $18?.  For dessert we shared a banana bread pudding and ice cream sandwich on snicker doodles.  The bread pudding got our vote for most delicious.  We enjoyed each course, our favorites being the croquettes, bread with prosciutto and brisket.  We also had 3 beers, a Moscow mule and. A glass of wine.  Total bill was $158.00...not bad!  Chelsea was our very sweet and professional server.  We would recommend a visit here.

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  What's left of our banana bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

  What's left of our banana bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!
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  Prawns

  Prawns
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  Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower sauteed red onion, chile flake, aged white cheddar fondue 9.00

  Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower sauteed red onion, chile flake, aged white cheddar fondue 9.00
• See all photos from Beth F. for TWO

12/27/2014

Dont get me wrong. This place is pretty good.

The entrance is really awkward. You walk through the door and there is this huge heavy curtain you have to walk through.  Now listen here, if i had a few cocktails that thing would have swallowed me whole and i may never have gotten out.  Then there is a bar, do i talk to the bar tender? Who sits us?  She directed us kindly to the host to the left of the entrance he shook our hands, made us feel really comfortable from there on.

Had a seat with a cool sightline into the kitchen. Waitress was really attentive and nice and informed us about the portion sizes.  They recommend 5 to 6 dishes for two people. The food is awesome, taste amazing. But they are very small and pretty expensive.  With a few cocktails this can be a seriously expensive time.  Id rather spend that money and go get really full elsewhere.

Duck fat croquettes (good)
Duck egg fettucini(wish i had a huge bowl of this then nap)
Arctic char (i dont do fish, but was awesome)
Puppy chow (addictive)
Cheesecake

For the money though, im not sure if id be back.  Doesnt take anything away from the service or quality of food

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  Cheesecakr and Puppy chow

  Cheesecakr and Puppy chow
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  Duc Fettucini

  Duc Fettucini
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  Arctic char

  Arctic char

12/28/2014

I loved everything about TWO!  We met some friends in the city for dinner and decided on TWO after seeing the "Check Please" episode.  Everything they said about this place on the show is true.  

I felt a good neighborhood vibe the minute we walked in (and found street parking right in front - score!), we sat at the bar and had a drink while we waited for our table.  The bartender was friendly and answered questions about their extensive wine and cocktail menu - one of the drinks had a round ice ball which looked interesting.  I ordered a Manhattan and my husband ordered a drink with a fruit cube in it made with gin that was fabulous - so far, TWO is on a roll.

We were seated at our table and greeted by the friendliest and most attentive wait-staff I have experienced at a city restaurant.  They explained the menu and the concept of smaller portions intended for sharing (reminded me of "Girl and the Goat" but without the pretentious attitude).  We started out with the Beet Salad and a few items and then ordered more. Here's a run-down of our choices...
NIcholas Farm Golden Beet Salad +++++ so fresh, delicious and a portion size big enough for four people to share
P.E.I. Mussels ++++ delicious plate overflowing with mussels and grilled bread that was perfect for soaking up the amazing broth (one of our top TWO dishes of the evening).
Bershire Pork Kalbi Loin Chops ++++ the flavor of this pork was unbelievable and the side of cauliflower was tasty enough to prompt us to order more.
Aged Grilled Hangar Steak ++++ tender, juicy and full of flavor.
Black Truffle Risotto +++++ this was my favorite dish (topped with a fried duck egg), it was creamy, and the egg melted into the rice and the subtle flavors merged beautifully.  I would come back to TWO for this dish alone.
Duck Egg Fettucine +++ I had high hopes for this dish and while everyone at our table thought it was tasty - I felt it lacked flavor and was a bit dry.

We also had a duck dish that I can't recall the name of - duck is not my favorite so after a small taste I passed on a bigger bite.  

For dessert we ordered the Puppy Chow and Gingerbread Pudding and enjoyed them both.  

The ambiance in TWO is comfortable and inviting with several big tables - great for large groups.  We had a wonderful "first" time at TWO will visit again and again.

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  Black Truffle Risotto with Fried Duck Egg - amazing!

  Black Truffle Risotto with Fried Duck Egg - amazing!

6/10/2014

An incredible dining experience. My husband and I both put this meal as our top 3 memorable meals ever. Excellent meal, service, and very reasonable priced for the quality!

Our server Dimitri was really cool and the owner also popped by and spoke with us a couple of times, and we ended up watching the last bit of the Miami-San Antonio basketball game with them at the bar between dinner and dessert!

Where to start? You must try the pork belly pastrami and the duck leg confit. We even placed a 2nd order of the pork belly pastrami, it was that good!

They don't have hot plates so the meals come out when ready. Everything was great, the salad, halibut, duck egg fettuccine (wow!). But...Let me tell you about the half chicken...it...was...amazing...and just kept getting better. A crisp skin with a juicy centre.  Even the white meat was so moist!

At the end of the meal, I really wanted to order the banana bread pudding based on yelp reviews but also decided to get the ricotta cheesecake since they make their ricotta in house! I ate most of both...but it was so worth it!

We bought the kitchen staff a six pack of beer and the chef (Brian) came out to chat with us while we picked his brain on got some tips on how to cook such an incredible meal. What a great guy and so passionate about his work. Love to see that!

The 4 of us had a 7pm reservation on Sunday night and closed the place down at about 11pm feeling utterly satisfied.

Next time we are in Chicago Two will be a must!

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  Sirloin.

  Sirloin.
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  Homemade pork belly pastrami, green garlic, spring onions, fingerling potatoes, mustard jus, herb salad ($17). Amazing!

  Homemade pork belly pastrami, green garlic, spring onions, fingerling potatoes, mustard jus, herb salad ($17). Amazing!
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  Roasted broccoli and cauliflower, sautéed red onion, chile flake, aged white cheddar fondue ($8).

  Roasted broccoli and cauliflower, sautéed red onion, chile flake, aged white cheddar fondue ($8).
• See all photos from Sarah B. for TWO

11/11/2014

This place should be called Bacon. Nearly everything we ate had bacon on it or in it. If you like bacon, good for you. If you don't, bad for you. I don't like bacon- bad for me. I came to use a four course tasting groupon with a friend and the server did ask us if we had any allergies to any foods, because the chef chooses your dishes. Maybe I should have mentioned bacon, but then what would they have served us?

I really liked the wine that came with our meal- I selected the pinot noir. I wish I had taken a picture of the label so I would know to get it again. The atmosphere and service were nice too- intimate and classy.

The first course was salad, with bacon on it. The second course was fish, encrusted in bacon. The third course was fried chicken- delicious- no bacon. The fourth course was risotto with bacon in it.  The dessert was an apple pie cheesecake- no bacon- and was good.

Really, everything was good, I just think it would have been better without the bacon. Hasn't bacon been overdone? It's such an overwhelming flavor that it kills the rest of the seasonings and herbs. And if you like bacon, you don't really have to like anything else on the plate, because you will like the dish for the bacon itself. I just think it's kind of a cop out. How many times can I write the word bacon in one review?

11/3/2014

Here is my issue with TWO:  TWO is kind of a one-trick pony.

My husband and I came here on a Sunday night after he returned from a biz trip.  We were on time for our reservation, but it took a few minutes for us to be a seated.  Restaurant seemed busy and pretty full--although, this is to be expected the week after they aired on check please.  

The food:  Here is what I mean when I say one-trick pony.  The food is good, but it's the same thing over and over and over again.  Everything we ate (and much of what we saw on the menu) involved some combination of:

(1) parmesan cheese
(2) duck / duck fat
(3) mushrooms
(4) salt salt salt
(5) bacon / pork belly

This is just fine (good, even) for a dish or two, but overall, the meal felt heavy and unbalanced.  It was a lot of fat and salt, even on dishes that we ordered to be lighter (the brussels and the scallops, for example).  Perhaps this is part of the problem of being tethered to only fresh ingredients (which were great, don't get me wrong), but we left the meal craving some brightness and acidity in our food.  My husband also commented that he felt that the individual components on the dish were fine on their own, but didn't seem to taste as good eaten together (his example, the pork belly + parsnip puree).  They also were out of the mussels by the time we got there (not too late-- 7:30), which was a bummer.

The space is very attractive, and the wine list looked great and not too outrageously expensive.  I'm still on the fence as to whether or not we will be back--for the cost, we wanted a meal that was more complex and less one-note.  

Overall, though, the meal was just fine, a bit heavy, and I would suggest it for those who really want to indulge.  Maybe not again for a while, though, unless things brighten and lighten up a little bit.

1/25/2015

Match made in Heaven - I can't wait for round Two here. The chefs (Two of them) and I must be on the same page, because everything on their menu is something I like. If you too like complex flavors with an often meaty, creamy, American twist, you will love Two.

Excellent wait staff and attentive service. Someone shook my hand when I stepped in the restaurant. Despite the quality and creativity of the food, the decor and environment is not overly pretentious like Michelin-rated restaurants in this city often are.

The only thing remotely negative about this restaurant is it may be difficult to get to for some. The 65 bus or the Blue line Grand stop are the public transit methods of choice to get here.

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  Creamy Risitto

  Creamy Risitto
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  Roasted pork and sauteed brussel sprouts

  Roasted pork and sauteed brussel sprouts

1/4/2015

Enjoyed our meal here and shared a few different dishes.  Menu had some standard favorites (i.e. a steak option, a goat cheese salad, risotto, salmon) in addition to some that are more unique.  I like the farm to table concept which is executed well.  My favorite by far was the pumpkin bread pudding which inspired me to (try to) make my own version for the holidays.  

Definitely a neighborhood gem with street parking available for those that comes from a bit further out.

5/16/2015

Had an amazing business dinner with clients.  The service at this spot is amazing.  Everyone works together and you can ask for more than that.  The owner came to the table and was super nice.
Now on to the best part - the amazing food.  The dishes are pretty much tapas style.  We tried 8 different dishes between 4 people.  Out of all the dishes we couldn't figure out what we liked the best.  It was nice to see farm to table.  The chef made amazing dishes.  The fettuccine was one of my faves.
Desert was amazing as well.  Banana bread pudding... Wow!

Check this place out-  you won't be disappointed at all.  I can't wait to get back to Chicago.

5/3/2015

Great service. Our waitress was real knowledgable on wines to help us choose wines we would like.

The bacon jam was great.  Tastes like a textured pate/mousse.  A bit salty if you don't have something to pair or wash it down with.

Duck fettuccine was spectacular.   The texture of the pasta was sublime. Ask for extra duck cracklings.

The Amish chicken was relatively larger portion.  Excellent texture. Not overcooked/undercooked.  The skin was crispy/salty...just the way I like it.  Though I've had better elsewhere, I would definitely consider ordering this again.

The lamb belly was good.  My wife loved it.  

Wagyu beef sooo tender and so much flavor.

Banana bread pudding: we finished it on 2 breaths.

10/20/2014

Two was just too good. The potato bombs are just as amazing as others have said. If they have the heirloom tomato salad, this is a great way to lighten up the meal. The standout was the duck breast fettuccine. Perfectly cooked duck breast, al dente and fresh fettuccine, and duck skin cracklins.

Two is chill, down to earth and a great place for dinner away from the hustle and bustle.